A short mead (also known as a small mead) is a honey wine brewed with less honey than usual. It takes less time for fermentation since there is less sugar in the mixture for the yeast to consume when using less honey.
Because there is less honey to begin with, the yeast will produce less alcohol, resulting in a lower ABV. Instead, it will produce a wonderful mead that is full of taste but lacks the major alcoholic punch.
Short meads, unlike traditional meads with a higher alcohol concentration, are not supposed to be aged in bottles before consumption. This fact alone makes short meads an excellent beverage option for celebrations and gatherings of all kinds.
Start this delicious mead today and you’ll have your own mead to sip on by next month.
Equipment List
- a stockpot
- a funnel with a strainer
- one-gallon glass jug
- three-piece airlock
To add some flavor to your mead, try using any combination of the following: (Choose at least three of these spices to get a pleasant, spicy flavor.)
- 1 whole 3” of cinnamon stick (Ceylon is best)
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 star anise
- 3 cloves
- 1 slice of candied ginger
- 1-2 1/8” slices of peeled ginger
- 3 juniper berries
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 whole nutmeg (crushed)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon of water
- 2 lb. jar of honey
- 12 raisins
- The juice of one orange
- 1 cup of strong, black tea, cooled
- Spice blend
- 1 packet of Lalvin D47 yeast
The list of ingredients is also short. I’m betting that you already have most of these items in your cupboards.
Directions
- Start with clean, sterilized equipment, as you would for any home brewing project. You should also go ahead and clean your hands.
- Put the honey and about 4/5 of the gallon of water into a large stockpot. Bring the honey water to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the spices.
- Blend together thoroughly.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 30 to 60 minutes. The spices will release more of their flavor the longer you let it simmer.
- White foam may form on the surface of the water; this is normal and to be expected.
- After the specified amount of time has passed, remove the pot from the heat and skim off the froth. You can discard the spices you take out because the rest will be filtered out when the mixture is put through the sieved funnel.
- Put the pot of ingredients in the fridge until it’s room temperature. You can speedily cool the spiced honey-water by leaving the saucepan outside in the cold for half an hour.
- While the sauce is cooling, fill the gallon jug with raisins, tea, and orange juice.
- When the honey water has cooled to room temperature, toss the yeast packet into the jug and mix it with the orange juice and tea. You should give the jug some time to rest.
- Pour the honey water with spices into the jug using the funnel with the screen.
- The jug should be full to the very top of its neck. If more liquid is required, add it. To use, insert the rubber stopper into the jug and cover the opening with your finger. Gently stir in the water by swirling the container.
- Install a water-filled airlock over the rubber plug. Put the jug of mead in a warm, dark area and label it with the date it was made.
- In around 48 hours, you’ll be able to hear the yeast happily at work in your bubbling airlock.
Fill the jug all the way to the top so as to minimize the amount of empty space.
When Will My Spiced Mead Be Ready?
In approximately a month, your short mead will be ready to consume. Keep in mind that they taste best when consumed promptly. The final product will be a bubbly, flavorful mead with very little alcohol content.
How Can I Use it?
Pour your mead slowly from the jug into a glass if you want to drink it as is. Or, you can transfer the contents to a new, clean carboy while avoiding the lees.
It can be bottled if desired; just use swing-top bottles and refrigerate them. Fermentation will slow to a near halt because of the cold. If the bottles have built up too much carbonation, you may need to burp them once a day for a few days. Once that’s done, you may take your time drinking through these cold bottles of mead over the next few weeks.
Although, in all honesty, skipping all that fuss is half the fun of producing a short mead.
Adding different ingredients to a short mead in the glass is a lot of fun. They are delicious on their own, but can be made much better by adding a shot or two of your favorite spirit; whiskey, brandy, rum, and krupnik are all great options. If you want to give your mead a little extra kick, try adding a splash of one of these. A small mead can serve as a punch or mulled mead basis.
For a cozy winter beverage, warm your mead.
